Mr and Mrs Georgetown
by sportsnightnut
Summary: The first time Will Gardner looks at Alicia Cavanaugh, he sees his whole life in her eyes. A Georgetown-era one-shot.


**A/N:** This is a companion piece to one of my works, _March 15, 1992_. You don't _have_ to read it before you read this one, but I would recommend it. You'll see some themes from some of my drabbles, as well, and even a few lines from the show that fit much better in this universe.

This is also my (belated) birthday gift to my dear friend Chrissie (OnlyYouForever). Approximately 4300 words of disgustingly cheesy deliciousness about our Georgetown babies for which I have no intention of apologizing. I hope this is a good present, my dear! xoxo.

* * *

The first time Will Gardner looks at Alicia Cavanaugh, he sees his whole life in her eyes.

He imagines his heart feeling full every day from the sound of her laughter.

He thinks about falling asleep every night and waking every morning to the sweet timbre of her voice, with that gentle Chapel Hill lilt.

He pictures kids, who would probably be hazel-eyed brunettes, and it's at this point he thinks he must be crazy, because he just met this woman a few hours ago and he already has the next fifteen years of their lives planned out.

Will tries not to laugh at himself, but he can't stop his lips from curling up into a smile.

"What?" she asks, sounding suddenly shy.

"I like you, Alicia Cavanaugh."

"I like you too, Will Gardner," she replies, smiling back as she clinks her red plastic cup with his.

* * *

They spend the weeks following completely inseparable. They meet at the same coffee cart every morning before class, sit next to each other during lectures, and form a study buddy team, which includes copious amounts of pizza and beer and quizzing each other. Except on Friday nights, because Friday nights are just pizza nights, no textbooks involved.

They usually watch movies, and he spends most of his time watching her. She insists that she likes scary movies, but he knows better than that, looking at her with half a piece of pizza frozen between her teeth, the blanket pulled up to her chin.

"We don't have to watch this," Will says a few minutes later.

Alicia shakes her head. "We're halfway through," she replies, resuming her chewing.

"But you're not enjoying it."

"But you are," she counters, and smiles as she tosses her crust into the box. "So let's keep going."

This isn't the first time Will has observed Alicia's kind heart, full of the desire to do things for other people that don't necessarily benefit her.

"Nah. Let's watch that other movie we got." Alicia smiles at him, and Will tilts his head questioningly. "What?"

She shrugs. "It's just…nice. Thank you."

* * *

When she starts dating Peter Florrick sometime in October, Will tries not to beat himself up about it.

He tries not to think about all the times he could have should have said something, done something, hinted at something, or really, _just kissed her_.

But he didn't do any of those things, and then Peter snuck in, and now here he stands, trying to calm his jealous heart.

When Friday night rolls around, he expects Alicia to cancel their usual movie night, or possibly even worse, _invite Peter_, but she doesn't. She arrives at his door promptly at 6, holding a plastic bag packed full of Chinese food.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming," Will admits, and she responds with a gentle laugh.

"It's Friday night, isn't it? Why wouldn't I be here?"

He shrugs. "You have a boyfriend."

Alicia nods. "I also have a friend, whose name is Will. Will and I have a standing takeout and movie night every Friday night from now until the end of time, and no one, not even a boyfriend, can interfere with that."

He feels uncertain, but he hides it with a smile. "Good. Come on in."

* * *

She goes home with Peter for Christmas, but makes it back in time for New Year's. When Will picks her up at the airport, he's surprised to see her alone.

"Peter decided to stay a few more days," she explains, after hugging him. Will hoists her suitcase into the backseat as she slips into the passenger seat and buckles her seatbelt.

"I'm glad you're back," he says, hoping she doesn't pick up on the subtle _without Peter_ that lingers on his tongue.

"What should we do for New Year's?" she asks, reaching for the heat knob.

Will chuckles. "Sorry. I forgot to turn the heat up all the way for you."

"I didn't turn it up all the way!" she says indignantly, but Will just eyes her as he pulls out onto the road.

"So, New Year's," he muses. "I think Catey is having a party at her place. We could go over there for a bit."

Alicia agrees. "I should get a new dress."

Will can't help but be happy that he'll get to see her in it before Peter does, then mentally smacks himself upside the head. It's not a competition, and he knows it. It's just that he genuinely believes he's the better choice.

When he sighs out loud, Alicia asks what's wrong.

"Nothing," he replies.

And by nothing, what he really means is that nothing has never been more of a lie.

* * *

The dress she chooses is gold, covered in sparkles for the occasion. Her hair is pinned up, with just a few curls hanging loosely around her face. When she opens the door, she's got one earring in and is fumbling with the other.

"Hey," she says breathlessly. "Sorry. I'm almost ready."

"You are beautiful," he answers. "I mean…wow, Leesh."

She waves her hand in dismissal. "It's…I look okay."

Will touches her arm to stop her from rushing away. "I mean it, Alicia. Beautiful."

She smiles, shyly, and what Will doesn't realize is that Peter doesn't say these kind of things to her, and she's learned to accept this because she doesn't know any better. He says that her dress is nice, or her hair looks good, but he never really says anything about _her. _

"I just have to find my shoes," she tells him, and three minutes later, they're out the door.

* * *

For most of the evening, they're tucked away on a couch in the corner, deep in discussion, talking about their upcoming spring semester classes. But mostly, Will's noticing that her dress matches the flute of champagne she's holding, and he's soaking up her smile and her laughter and her brilliance, and he feels like all of this is crushing his poor heart because _she belongs to someone else_.

Before the clock hits midnight, they refill their glasses, ready to toast to a new year. When the clock turns, Will hugs Alicia.

"Happy new year."

"Happy new year," she says, kissing him on the cheek.

* * *

Valentine's Day falls on a Friday this year, which Alicia brings to Will's attention a few weeks prior. She starts to apologize, but he stops her.

"Don't apologize. Have fun. Is he taking you out?"

Alicia nods. "It's a surprise. Which is…nice."

Will chuckles, understanding the word "nice" as Alicia code for "I wish he'd just tell me so I could make a plan."

Because Alicia likes plans, not surprises.

He wonders if Peter knows that.

* * *

When Friday the 13th rolls around, Will mentions something about it that morning on their way to Torts.

Alicia rolls her eyes. "Really? Do you _really_ believe that today is bad luck?"

He feigns deep offense at her words, and she just rolls her eyes again.

Less than a minute later, she trips over the cement and spills her coffee all over the sidewalk.

As Will doubles over in laughter, Alicia just glares. "This is _your_ fault, Will Gardner."

He's laughing too hard to respond, so he just hands her his coffee as they continue walking to class.

* * *

At the pre-St. Patrick's Day party that night, Will arrives before Alicia, but he notices her as soon as she enters the apartment.

It is unusually cold for March, nearly 30 degrees colder than normal. As she shrugs off Peter's jacket, he observes that she's wearing a flattering emerald green dress and simultaneously notes his disdain for Peter's hand on the small of her back.

They stop and talk to a few others before making their way toward the drinks, where Will stands. He greets Peter with a handshake as Alicia reaches for a beer.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Peter asks.

Will finishes his sip of beer before responding. "Just studying. We have our criminal justice midterm next week."

"Lots of time in the library tomorrow," Alicia adds, and Peter smiles down at her. Even in heels, she's still shorter than both of them.

* * *

Alicia finally decides to leave the library at 7:30 Saturday night, around the time her eyes start to feel a little fuzzy and her tummy starts insisting on dinner. She packs up her bag and walks back to the apartment, unaware that she's about to open the door to something that will turn her world upside down.

As she puts the key in the lock and turns it, she hears movement on the other side of the door, which seems unusual. Her roommate Carrie is always out on Saturday nights. Alicia is sure this girl is going to fail out of law school, but since that's really none of Alicia's business, she's never said anything. She shrugs to herself; it's only 7:45, so maybe Carrie is still getting ready to go out.

But when she opens the door, she feels like she can't breathe, because there's Carrie. Under a blanket, but very clearly naked, and very clearly on top of Peter.

Alicia drops her bag and watches her books spill out on the floor. By this point, Carrie has grabbed the blanket and rushed into her room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Peter completely exposed on the couch.

The eleven words that are about to come out of Peter's mouth will make Alicia angrier than she has ever been in her life.

"I didn't think you were going to be home until later."

"You son of a _bitch!_" Alicia cries out, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "What the fuck? I mean, really, what the _fuck_?"

As Peter scrambles to put his clothes back on, Alicia turns her back to him and reaches for the doorknob. "Don't even bother, Peter. Just go finish fucking my roommate. I'll leave you two alone."

"Alicia, don't—it didn't mean anything. _Leesh_," he pleads with her.

She turns around, her eyes full of fury. "Don't you _ever_ call me that," Alicia says, her voice low. "I'm going to leave, and in thirty minutes, I want both of you out. You can go back to your place and screw girls there, but not in _my_ apartment."

"It wasn't—I'm sorry, Alicia."

"How many others?" she asks, and Peter looks bewildered. "Tell me, Peter. How many others?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"So there were others."

Peter stares at the ground. "Yeah."

"I would really prefer it if I never had to see your face again, so do me a favor and get the hell out," she says, then slams the door behind her.

When she returns thirty minutes later, both Peter and Carrie are gone. She drops the stack of cardboard boxes on the floor and begins taping them up.

* * *

When Will realizes he hasn't seen his best friend all weekend, he stops by her apartment, hot chocolate in hand.

When Alicia opens the door, he sees that most of her things are packed and ready to go.

When she tells him what happened, Will feels like he's going to throw up.

When Alicia asks if he ever found a roommate to replace the friend who had moved out, Will has never been happier to say the word "you."

* * *

Will gives her space, and Alicia appreciates that, because she really doesn't want to talk about Peter, and he knows that the last thing she probably wants is to rush right into another relationship.

But when her birthday approaches about two months later, he thinks that maybe, it's time. Exams are over and they're free, at least for a few weeks, until summer internships start.

So he plans out the evening, dinner and drinks with their friends at the usual place, and he loves seeing her like this, stress-free and happier than she's been in months.

They return to their apartment in the single-digit hours of the morning and stay up until it's nearly sunrise. He suggests they take a little drive, so she brews them travel mugs full of coffee and they set out.

"Where are we going?" Alicia asks eagerly, taking a sip of the warm coffee.

"You'll see," Will answers, smiling. "I know you don't really like surprises, but…"

"It's okay," she says hurriedly, not wanting him to feel bad. "This is nice. I trust you."

They drive for less than ten minutes before he parks, and she realizes exactly where they're going.

"You remembered," she says softly, and Will squeezes her hand before they get out of the car.

Alicia watches the white marble turn orange in the morning glow as they climb the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As Will reaches for her hand, she feels an almost overwhelming sense of content.

When they reach the top, they turn to see the Washington Monument, the morning sky around it painted in pink and orange hues.

"This is beautiful," Alicia whispers. "I've always wanted to see this sunrise. And you remembered."

"Happy birthday, Leesh."

Will lets go of her hand, and Alicia's just about to say something about how he didn't have to do that when he kisses her.

As he pulls back, she closes her eyes and smiles; when she opens them, he's smiling back at her.

"Was that…I'm sorry. Was it…" he fumbles over his words, and Alicia shakes her head and kisses him to shut him up.

"I've been wondering if you were going to do that for the past ten months," she says, and Will laughs against her soft lips.

* * *

They meet up with their friends Catey and Micah for breakfast four days later. When they walk into the diner holding hands, Catey jumps up from the squishy red booth and nearly tackles Alicia in a hug.

"Oh thank _god. _You guys are finally _together_!" she practically squeals, and Will admires the sound of Alicia's honeyed laugh.

"Yeah. We are," she says, squeezing Will's hand and looking up at him to share a smile.

"Took you two long enough," Micah says. "Congratulations."

* * *

The first time Will says I love you, the words practically spill from his lips. They're in the kitchen together, getting ready to cook dinner, and she has her arms wrapped around him, her cheek pressed into the soft fabric of his t-shirt, and he can't wait another second to tell her.

"I love you too," she says, and turns away so she can wipe the tears from her face without him seeing.

"_Hey_," he says, putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her back to face him. "What's wrong?"

Alicia shakes her head. "This is the happiest I've ever been."

* * *

They spend the summer meeting up for happy hour almost every night after their respective internships, immediately tossing their suit jackets on empty chairs as Will signals the bartender. They share cold drinks and stories from their day, and sometimes even a plate of cheese fries, before spending the rest of the evening in various states of undress.

The first time, she does it herself, slipping her dress and panties off quickly. She looks up at him nervously, but all that fades away when she sees his smile.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

And he means it.

* * *

2L year sneaks up on them, and before they know it, it's already mid-September. In a near panic, Alicia shakes Will awake at 3:22 in the morning.

"Hm?" he mumbles. "Oh, did you want to—"

She shushes him. "Your birthday is on Tuesday."

"Mmmhmm," he mumbles, lazily rolling over to face her.

"I don't even know what kind of cake you like. Why don't I know what kind of cake you like?" she asks anxiously. "Did I not make you something for your birthday last year?"

It's his turn to shush her, and he places a sweet kiss on her lips. "Chocolate. With chocolate buttercream. Now go back to sleep."

"Well, now that we're both awake…"

She can see him smile in the late night glow of the bedroom. "You are the perfect woman."

* * *

With the exception of a few warm days, the winter of 1993 feels awfully cold, so Will and Alicia spend most of their time inside, beneath blankets, in the blissful haze of their new relationship. She teaches him how to make pancakes, he teaches her about baseball, and they quiz each other on constitutional law until they can practically recite the textbook to each other.

Will likes watching Alicia move around the kitchen almost effortlessly, as if making pancakes is something she could do in her sleep. He admires her, his gray Georgetown hoodie too big on her, and he smiles, because there's nothing better than the woman he loves looking impossibly sexy in his sweatshirt.

As he takes a bite of the fluffy chocolate chip pancakes, Alicia smiles at him from across the counter.

In her smile, he sees an affirmation of the thought that's been running through his head for the past several days: that this thing they're doing could be the real, forever kind of deal.

* * *

On the first day of 3L year, Will wakes up early, making sure not to disturb Alicia. He shuts the door to her bedroom quietly and pads out to the kitchen in sock-clad feet, starting the coffee and pulling out ingredients for pancakes.

After he spoons the batter into the pan, he gazes out the window and thinks about the tiny black box hidden in the depths of his closet. He's not ready to give it to her yet, and he's pretty sure she's not ready, either.

But he knows that day will come, in the not-too-distant future, lightyears away from his jealous heart and her broken one.

He flips the pancakes over and chuckles. Will Gardner may be good at a lot of things—it's just that one of those things happens to include burning pancakes as a result of his distractedness.

Will dumps the two burnt pancakes out just before Alicia wakes, so by the time she makes it out to the kitchen, there are two unburnt blueberry pancakes waiting for her on the counter.

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever," she declares, hugging him tight.

* * *

It's a warm April day on campus, the first genuinely warm day in weeks, and they're lying in the grass after their Advanced Evidence seminar when he decides that today is _the_ day.

Alicia is half asleep, her head on his chest, and Will is playing with her hair, twisting the loose curls around his finger.

"I love you," she says sleepily, and he places a gentle kiss on top of her head.

"I love you too," Will answers.

Alicia stretches and sits up, hugging her knees close to her chest.

"Can you stand up for a second?" he asks. "It looks like there's something on the back of your shirt."

"Oh," she says, immediately jumping to her feet and turning around. "Is it there? Can you see it?"

"Got it," Will says, and when Alicia turns back to face him, he's down on one knee.

"I know it hasn't quite been two years," he starts, "but I've known since the first day I met you. I've known every single one of those nine-hundred and sixty-six days that you are it for me, Leesh. You are my best friend, and there's no one I'd rather wake up next to and eat pancakes with and practice law beside for the rest of my life. I want to be with you, and only you, forever."

Will pauses for a moment to take it all in before asking the question.

"Will you marry me, Alicia Cavanaugh?"

Alicia's hands are clasped over her mouth, and she starts nodding before she can say the word. Will grins, removing the ring from the box and slipping it on her finger.

"Yes," she finally says as he hugs her tight. "Yes, yes, yes."

"I can't wait to make you Mrs. Gardner."

* * *

The dress she chooses is ivory, a sheath silhouette with lace sleeves and a keyhole back. Her dark hair is smooth and pinned up, her bangs lightly brushing across her forehead.

Will's back is turned to her when she walks outside, and she taps him on the shoulder. He turns around to see his bride and has to bite his bottom lip to suppress the tears.

"I'm supposed to be the one crying, not you!" she exclaims, wiping a stray tear with her index finger.

"This is the best day of my life," he whispers. "I get to marry my Georgetown girl."

* * *

After their first dance, Owen taps his champagne glass with his spoon to get everyone's attention.

"I had the pleasure of walking my sister down the aisle today," he starts, grinning. "And I have to say, I wasn't sure if Alicia was ever going to meet a man worthy of her. She's my big sister, you know…she's been through a lot of tough stuff in her life, and I just want her to be happy. I promised her I wouldn't cry, but…"

"Dammit, Owen!" Alicia says, laughing through her tears.

"Anyway, when she met this guy over here…I was convinced that he was it. She wouldn't tell me his name, she just kept calling him Mr. Georgetown. But man, he sounded _dreamy_." Owen chuckles as everyone else laughs. "And then she told me she started dating this other guy, and I thought hey, what happened to Mr. Georgetown? Well, both of them were too scared to make a move, so someone else did and stole her away from Mr. Georgetown. And then, this other guy—clearly _not_ as dreamy as Mr. Georgetown—did something really stupid. Which ended up being really great, because Mr. Georgetown had a place in his heart for someone…and that someone just so happened to be my sister."

Owen pauses before continuing. "I've never seen my sister this happy in her entire life, Will. Thank you for making her happy. Please promise me you'll take care of her."

"I promise," Will says firmly. "Always."

"To Mr. and Mrs. Georgetown!" Owen declares, raising his glass.

* * *

Nearly four years to the day, they are both handed crisp white envelopes at work, the letter inside bearing the words "senior associate" in bold font, and they can't stop smiling as they sign their names on the line.

She still gets a thrill out of scrawling her new last name, which is much more legible than her maiden name, mostly because she wants everyone to be able to read it. She's Alicia _Gardner. _And that guy standing next to her, Will Gardner?

That's her _husband_.

* * *

Seven months after that, she's standing in the middle of the aisle, her left hand resting on the cart, a box of cereal in her right. She's picked up at least three different kinds, and Will smiles as he watches her in this moment of complete indecision.

Alicia Gardner is a resolute woman. She knows what she wants.

Just not when it comes to cereal.

A sapphire blue wrap dress hugs her in all the right places, showing off the curves of her six-month pregnant body. Will has been staring at her the entire way down the cereal aisle, and he has a feeling he won't stop anytime soon. Her recently-trimmed hair falls in tight curls down to her shoulders, and he loves the way she purses her lips in concentration when she's staring at groceries.

It would probably seem silly to most anyone else, but cereal-related indecisiveness is one of the many reasons he loves this woman.

When she turns to him and asks if he can reach one on the top shelf for her, he obliges, handing it to her as he raises his eyebrows.

"French Toast Crunch?"

Alicia shrugs. "Can you blame me?"

"Not one bit," he replies. As she turns to put the box in the cart, he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her neck, pressing his lips against her warm skin.

* * *

When Will holds the tiny girl in his arms for the first time, his face hurts from smiling so much.

"Hey," he says quietly. "Hey, Caitlin. I'm going to call you Cait, okay? I'm your dad. Your mom and I already love you a whole lot, and we're going to have so much fun together. But first I think we should sleep. You're going to need it."

Alicia scoots over on the bed to make room for Will, and he places Caitlin in her arms as her head falls naturally to her shoulder.

"She's so beautiful," Alicia whispers.

"Thank you," Will whispers back, kissing the top of her head.

"For what?" she asks sleepily.

"For this. For her. For everything. I'm so glad I get to share my life with the two most beautiful girls on earth."

"Love you forever," Alicia says softly, moving her head to the comfiest spot on his chest.

"Love you forever. And you too, little one," he adds, smiling down at their daughter. "With my whole heart."


End file.
